Naruto: Path to Power
by Marvelous Time
Summary: Naruto is tired of everyone in the village treating him like a monster, so he creates a new path for himself.


Okay, this is my first actual 'serious' Naruto story. So, please no flaming, and feel free to review and say what you like and what you wouldn't mind changed.

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! IT IS NOT MY PROPERTY! BOO ON YOU IF YOU THINK IT IS! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

Sorry… that was my evilness o_o.. I call him Joeahashifiginashatashlashypooshytoddiclamanod.

**Chapter One**

**Thoughts and Actions**

Naruto was lying awake in a hospital bed, thinking about what had occurred over the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, he had went on a mission that was suppose to be a week long. Which ended up almost two weeks, in fact, he had just gotten back earlier today. It had been another Sasuke retrieval mission…

*****Flashback*****

"Sasuke! Please, just come back with us!", Sakura begged.

Sasuke didn't acknowledge she was there, but kept his gaze on Naruto.

"Dobe, aren't you also going to beg me to come back?", questioned Sasuke with no concern.

"No", stated Naruto with a glare towards Sasuke, "I'm going to force you to come back! Shadow Clone no Jutsu!".

Four Naruto clones appeared next to the original, and one of them started creating a blue ball of chakra with the original. The other three charged ahead to fight Sasuke."Hn. You think you're a match for my newfound power?", asked Sasuke, "Heh, dobe".

Sasuke pulled out his sword from it's sheath, while creating a Chidori in his other hand. He waited for the three clones to attack him. When they were a few feet in front of him, he performed his attack."Chakra Strike", Sasuke stated quietly, slashing his sword horizontally .

A wave of dark blue chakra came speeding out of his sword, destroying all the clones attacking him. As the puffs of smoke covered the area in front of him, the real Naruto took his chance at defeating Sasuke. The last clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Naruto charged at Sasuke with the Rasengan in hand. He was about to shove the ball of chakra into Sasuke, when Sakura shouted at him."NO NARUTO!", cried Sakura, "Don't hurt him! Please!".

Naruto looked at her incredulously, before he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a hand with electricity crackling on it.

"Still listening to that weakling, Dobe?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto couldn't respond to him, because he had started to blackout. All he remembered before the was Sasuke chuckling while walking away.

--------------------Going back to Konoha-------------------

Naruto woke up with a groan, feeling the pain in his chest from where Sasuke had stabbed him with the Chidori. He looked around and saw he was hanging by a rope, which was attached to Sakura. Naruto was about to tell her he was awake, when his head hit a branch on a tree.

"OW!", yelled Naruto, alerting Sakura to his consciousness.

"You're awake", Sakura stated while stopping on a branch. Kakashi and Sai stopped a few branches away from her.

"Thanks for noticing", said Naruto dryly, "Now, why was I being carried like a rock?".

"We didn't feel like having to hold you on one of our backs", explained Sakura with ease.

"So you let my head hit each branch you touch?!", shouted Naruto.

"You tried hurting a fellow ninja of Konoha, it's the least you deserve", Sakura said angrily.

"A fellow ninja of Konoha?", asked a confused Naruto.

"Sasuke", Kakashi stated helpfully.

"He's not a ninja of Konoha!", yelled Naruto.

"Yes he is!", Sakura shouted.

"He stabbed me in the chest with a Chidori!", cried Naruto desperately.

"It was in self-defense! Sasuke-kun didn't want to, you forced him to!", raged Sakura."You're joking, right?", laughed Naruto.

"NO! Just for that, you are going to be tied to that rope the rest of the way back to Konoha!", yelled Sakura.

"You'll hit my head on the branches though!", cried Naruto.

"It's the least you deserve Naruto", Kakashi said carelessly.

"You're lucky we're even bringing you back with us", Sakura stated coldly.

"You'd leave me there to bleed to death?", questioned Naruto, heart breaking.

"At least you would've gotten the punishment you deserve", Sai told him, "Tsunade goes to soft on you as it is, we were just thinking about giving you a more fitting punishment.".

"By letting me die!?", sobbed Naruto.

"Oh, shut up Naruto", said Sakura, "You're not going to get us to feel sorry for you. Keep that demon locked up more often instead of letting it try and kill Sasuke-kun!".

Naruto stayed quiet, and Sakura quickly sped ahead of the group, hitting Naruto's head as hard as she could against the branches.

"Demon", Kakashi hissed at him when he passed.

"Wait until the council hears what you planned to do to the Uchiha", stated Sai coldly.

-------------Back in Konoha----------------

Naruto was lying in a hospital bed, because Sakura had 'forgotten' to heal his chest. Not that it was any different in the hospital, none of the doctors or nurses did anything to help Naruto either. They either completely ignored him or walked by to call him a demon and the person who killed half of Konoha. He was hoping Tsunade would come by and help him soon, and he got his wish.

"NARUTO!", screamed Tsunade.

Naruto thought she had screamed about the condition he was in, but after seeing the furious look on her face, he decided it was otherwise. Tsunade stormed over to his bed punched him on the top of his head.

"OW! What the hell you old hag!", yelled Naruto in pain.

"Don't you old hag me you little brat!", raged Tsunade.

"What's wrong with you!", questioned a concerned Naruto.

"What's wrong with me!? It's what's wrong with you, Naruto!", Tsunade roared.

"What did I do?", asked Naruto.

"Your team told me what you tried doing to the Uchiha! He is a fellow ninja, you cannot just charge at him with the intent to kill!", shouted Tsunade.

"I didn't try to kill him! I just wanted to capture him, and what do you mean by fellow ninja!? He ditched the village for Orochimaru!", ranted Naruto.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's still part of the village", replied Tsunade with a glare, "Maybe a night with no healing will teach you to respect your own village."

*****End Flashback*****

And that was why he was where he was now. Luckily, the Kyuubi had healed his injuries, so he wasn't in as much pain as he would've been in. He still could feel the pain in his heart from his so called 'friends'.

_I don't know why you even bother with them kit_, stated Kyuubi, _They're all horrible to you, yet you still always 'vow to protect the village no matter what the cost'. I can guarantee that they wouldn't do anything to keep you alive_.

"I don't know why I say that either anymore", said Naruto sadly, "I don't know what to do anymore".

_Leave them_, was the answer Kyuubi gave.

"And go where?", asked Naruto.

_Train in Suna_, explained Kyuubi, _Shukaku's vessel likes you enough, and after you're done training there, you can explore missing-nin life_.

"Hmm", Naruto thought it over, "Not a bad idea I guess".

_You will grow much stronger if you work on your own, and then you can finally defeat the Uchiha_, Kyuubi explained.

"Yes, I will be the strongest ninja ever! I will be able to defeat all other ninja's that I come across!", thought Naruto to Kyuubi.

_Then leave kit_, Kyuubi told Naruto, _ Leave this pathetic village behind_.

Naruto got up from his bed and snuck out of the hospital, which wasn't too hard considering no one cared enough to watch him to make sure he was fine. He snuck around the village, until he arrived at the gate, where he created a henge that looked like Jiraiya, and a clone so that it looked like Jiraiya had taken him out of the village again.

"Training the dem-- kid again, Jiraiya-sama?" asked one of the guards, glaring coldly at 'Naruto'.

"Yes", said 'Jiraiya' shortly, before taking off beyond the gates.

As soon as they had gotten far enough away that no one would be able to spot or reach them for awhile, Naruto transformed back into himself and poofed away the clone.

"He was about to call me a demon!", shouted Naruto to himself, and partly Kyuubi.

_Pfft, as if you could even come close to harnessing the power a demon holds… yet_, said Kyuubi mysteriously.

"You mean I'll be able to gain that much power?", Naruto asked excitedly.

_As long as you listen to me and follow my training_, Kyuubi consented, _Now, get to Suna!_.

"Right!", shouted Naruto to himself.

_Idiot, stop shouting, you will alert people to your presence_, stated Kyuubi dryly.

"Umm, right!", yelled Naruto.

_STOP YELLING!_, yelled Kyuubi inside his head.

"BUT YOU JUST YELLED!", screamed Naruto.

_Yes, but I am inside your head!_, raged Kyuubi back, _Just think your thoughts to me instead of saying them aloud, people will think you've gone insane_.

"Err, right", thought Naruto to Kyuubi.

-------Kazekage's Office------- A couple of days later

In a coincidence, Gaara, the Kazekage was thinking about the blonde ninja that very second. It had been a very long time since they had actually talked together, the last time they had even seen each other was when Gaara was coming back from his death, killing an old lady in the process, not a very nice situation to come to. Maybe he would send a letter to Naruto and ask if he wanted to spend a bit of time in Suna? While thinking about this, he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter", stated Gaara quietly."Kazekage-sama, there's a blonde-haired ninja outside who says he's a friend of yours. Should I let him in?", questioned the secretary, thinking for sure that the answer would be no.

'Naruto, why are you here?', ran through the red-headed boy's mind, " Yes, let him come in".

"What?! I mean, yes sir!", replied the secretary, shocked that the boy hadn't been lying about being a friend of the Kazekage.

The woman walked back out the doors, where he heard some mumbling, and then the door opened back up and a head of blonde hair appeared.

"GAARA! How are you!?", greeted Naruto.

"Fine, and yourself?", questioned Gaara.

"Oh, I'm great! Hey listen, do you mind if I stay in a room here for awhile? Just going to train and then I'll be heading off. You don't? THANKS!", shouted Naruto, heading for the door.

"Hold it!", stated Gaara with a hint of mirth in his voice, "Why are you here Naruto?".

"Well, I am going to become a missing-nin!", shouted Naruto like it was no big deal.

"May I inquire as to why?", asked the Kazekage through his teeth.

Naruto explained what had occurred over the last two weeks, from the retrieval mission to everyone's reaction to what he had tried to do. As Naruto finished his explanation, he noticed Gaara seething with anger.

"Gaara, you okay?", Naruto asked with concern.

"What? Oh, yes, anyways..", said Gaara, looking like he was coming out of a trance, "Of course you can stay here for as long as you like".

"Thanks Gaara! I owe you one!", yelled Naruto happily.

"It's no problem, now, I will have a room set up for you soon", stated Gaara, "Why don't you take a walk around town while you're waiting".

"Okay! Thank you!", cried Naruto, hugging Gaara.

Gaara looked like he was about to faint from being touched so intimately, while Naruto walked out of the office and into the streets of Suna. After settling down a bit, Gaara could think clearly enough to decide that he would write a letter to Konoha.

Dear Hokage-sama,

I have just met a friend of mine….

Review if you like it and think I should continue it! Even if you think I shouldn't, I will! I have big ideas for this fic!

**If you flame, you will die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

I'm trying to decide between a Naruto/Gaara or Naruto/No one fic. I wouldn't pick any other pairing for the story. :/


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